Acer Ultima knee mills

Maverick302 · Mar 13, 2019

I am in the market for a knee mill for my home shop and have come across a decent looking Acer 3vk. I know Acer is pretty well regarded, but I am having trouble finding information on this machine, and the stuff I do find seems to contradict. The seller is not very responsive but the price seems right, so I am aggressively pursuing more details. It's 3hp/3ph with R8 taper, and comes with a set of collets, an X/Y DRO, and that's it. Not even a vise. A couple questions surface to the top:

Is it taller than a Bridgeport? I have 8 foot ceilings and headspace is a concern
When did they start manufacturing these? It looks like a clean machine but I want to know how old it might be
What's the difference between the 3vk and the seemingly more common 3vs?
Anything weak with the variable speed (reeves, not emill) on these?
Anything else I should be wary of or know about before going to pick it up?
Is the lack of tooling any concern?

ripperj · Mar 13, 2019

I have a 3vs E-mill and love it. It’s very smooth.
My manual shows the E-mill 3vk as 88” high (same as my 3vs)
I think the only difference is just the spindle drive, VS have a VFD and no Reeves type drive.

You will need a vise probably, but you can get that later, if the mill is a good price and in nice shape- go for it.

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Maverick302 · Mar 13, 2019

Thanks. I'm pretty certain the 3vs and the 3vk were both made in reeves drive (under the Ultima name), and later evolved to VFD driven E-mill. How do you like your 3vs? How does it compare to a Bridgeport-style? I read it's "beefier" with no indication as to what and where it is beefed up.

ripperj · Mar 13, 2019

I really like it. Mine is a Anilam CNC
The only Bridgeport’s I have used have had wear on them, so it’s not a fair comparison, as my machine came from a Tech school that closed before the machines really got used, so it’s nice and tight.
As far as the controls it’s identical.
I have also heard they were beefier, but it’s not obvious as to what the difference is . Several folks on this forum said that they would purchase the Acer over a new Bridgeport for whatever that’s worth.
Depending how cheap you get the mill, you can get a brand new E-mill head for $3750 with a core trade.

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jbhigley · Mar 13, 2019

I have a 3VS I bought new in the late 90s. My manual shows specs for all the machines. It lists the 3VK at 82 3/16” high although I would be suspicious of this number as it lists that as the same height for the step pulley machine. My 3VS is 88” tall. The manual lists the 3VK with a 10x50 table at 2420 lbs net.

Maverick302 · Mar 13, 2019

Asking price is $2500. There are several bridgeports for sale locally in that range that are more equipped, but frankly I'd rather start with a bare machine in good shape than something with lots of goodies, but way/bed wear that I will likely never bother remedying. I know it's location dependent, but assuming the machine is decent, is that a fair price?

ripperj · Mar 13, 2019

$2500 seems like a pretty good deal. The mill you are looking at has a DRO and collets, with the exception of a vise and power X feed, not sure what the others would have that you would need.
Is this you first mill? ie do you need everything? (End-mills, parallels, drill chuck etc)

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Maverick302 · Mar 13, 2019

It does have power X feed, should have mentioned that.

This is my first mill. Off the bat, I'll need to run an outlet and get a VFD to run the motor. Then the flood of tooling can start.

ripperj · Mar 13, 2019

I’d jump on it before someone else gets it.

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